Caribbean Cricket at Christmas

A party of 16 junior cricketers from Repton spent 2 weeks in Barbados in December, furthering their cricketing education by playing 6 matches. Leaving freezing conditions in England and heading for warm, Caribbean sunshine made us the envy of many but batting and bowling in temperatures in excess of 30 degrees presented some difficulties. However, the boys finished the tour with a record of which they can be proud.

The players are looking particularly promising for next term’s cricket season, as after a narrow defeat to Millfield in the first game, Repton went on to beat local schools Ellerslie, Lodge, Queens and Foundation, with the game against Grantley Adams H.S. abandoned due to a tropical storm.

Repton’s leading run-scorer was Matthew Goodacre, who played significant innings throughout, including scores of 63 and 48, amounting to over 180 runs in 4 completed innings. Another major factor in the team’s success was the bowling of Sam Cotter, whose leg-spin often bewildered local batsmen and helped him to take 12 wickets in total. James Gough, Luke Cosford, Aaron Hibell and Will Hughes also made strong contributions.



Aside from the cricket, the possibilities for fun in the sun were endless, and the whole party enjoyed a tour of the island, a visit to the Kensington Oval test arena, meeting the Barbados squad in practice, a catamaran cruise and even some deep-sea fishing, courtesy of ORs James and Michelle Elliott.

This was an extremely worthwhile trip, which enhanced the boys’ cricketing knowledge and skills and provided many unforgettable memories.

Mike Stones